Cooperatives play key role in closing hunger gap, says Hazen

“Cooperatives are … one of the most cost-effective methods of achieving development goals. For a relatively small investment, they can transform whole communities by stimulating economic growth and by providing social supports like education and health care,” writes Paul Hazen in a post on The Hill’s Congress blog.

In the article, Hazen, former NCBA president and CEO and current executive director of the Overseas Cooperative Development Council, points out the connections between the summer drought in the United States and global food prices and hunger. He also comments on the growing emphasis in the Obama Administration on cooperatives in international development.

NCBA’s CLUSA International program is engaged in one of the original programs of the Feed the Future Initiative: USAID|Yaajeende. This program employs an innovative, country-led and integrated approach to tackle the underlying issues which hold back the very poor from becoming integral and active members of the rural, agricultural marketplace. Learn more about CLUSA Interantional’s USAID|Yaajeende project here.